The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

Name: The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2
Author: Langland, William

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

"For-thi beth war, ye wise men,
  That with the world deleth,
  That riche ben and reson knoweth,
  Ruleth wel youre soule,
  Beth noght unkynde, I conseille yow,
  To youre evene cristene,
  For manye of yow riche men,                            11890
  By my soule! men telleth,
  Ye brenne, but ye blase noght,
  That is a blynd bekene.
  _Non omnis qui dicit Domine! Domine!
      intrabit, etc._

    "Dives deyde dampned,
  For his unkyndenesse
  {364}
  Of his mete and of his moneie
  To men that it nedede.
  Ech a riche I rede                                     11900
  Reward at hym take,
  And gyveth youre good to that God
  That grace of ariseth;
  For thei that ben unkynde to hise,
  Hope I noon oother,
  But thei dwelle ther Dives is
  Dayes withouten ende.

    "Thus is unkyndenesse the contrarie,
  That quencheth, as it were,
  The grace of the Holy Goost,                           11910
  Goddes owene kynde.
  For that kynde dooth, unkynde for-dooth;
  As thise corsede theves
  Unkynde cristene men,
  For coveitise and envye,
  Sleeth a man for hise moebles
  With mouth or with handes.
  For that the Holy Goost hath to kepe,
  The harlotes destruyeth,
  The which is lif and love,                             11920
  The leye of mannes body.
  For every manere good man
  May be likned to a torche,
  Or ellis to a tapur,
  To reverence the Trinité;
  And who morthereth a good man,
  Me thynketh by myn inwit,
  He for-dooth the levest light
  That oure Lord lovyeth.

    "And yet in manye mo maneres                         11930
  Men offenden the Holy Goost.
  Ac this is the worste wise
  {365}
  That any wight myghte
  Synnen ayein the Seint Spirit,
  Assenten to destruye
  For coveitise of any kynnes thyng
  That Crist deere boughte,
  That wikkedliche and wilfulliche
  Wolde mercy aniente.

    "Innocence is next God,                              11940
  And nyght and day it crieth,
  'Vengeaunce! vengeaunce!
  Forgyve be it nevere
  That shente us and shedde oure blood,
  For-shapte us, as it were!'
  _Vindica sanguinem justorum._

    "Thus 'Vengeaunce! vengeaunce!'
  Verrey Charité asketh.
  And sith holy chirche and Charité
  Chargeth this so soore,                                11950
  Leve I nevere that oure Lord
  Wol love that charité lakketh,
  Ne have pité for any preiere
  Ther that he pleyneth."

    "I pose I hadde synned so,
  And sholde now deye;
  And now I am sory that I so
  The Seint Spirit a-gulte,
  Confesse me and crye his grace,
  God that al made,                                      11960
  And myldeliche his mercy aske,
  Myghte I noght be saved?"

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

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